Classical Music for Aficionados


I would like to start a thread, similar to Orpheus’ jazz site, for lovers of classical music.
I will list some of my favorite recordings, CDs as well as LP’s. While good sound is not a prime requisite, it will be a consideration.
  Classical music lovers please feel free to add to my lists.
Discussion of musical and recording issues will be welcome.

I’ll start with a list of CDs.  Records to follow in a later post.

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique.  Chesky  — Royal Phil. Orch.  Freccia, conductor.
Mahler:  Des Knaben Wunderhorn.  Vanguard Classics — Vienna Festival Orch. Prohaska, conductor.
Prokofiev:  Scythian Suite et. al.  DG  — Chicago Symphony  Abbado, conductor.
Brahms: Symphony #1.  Chesky — London Symph. Orch.  Horenstein, conductor.
Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat. HDTT — Ars Nova.  Mandell, conductor.
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances. Analogue Productions. — Dallas Symph Orch. Johanos, cond.
Respighi: Roman Festivals et. al. Chesky — Royal Phil. Orch. Freccia, conductor.

All of the above happen to be great sounding recordings, but, as I said, sonics is not a prerequisite.


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While we are on a Liszt theme at the moment I have been listening lately to some stunning piano playing from Daniel Barenboim from 1973 to 1983. It is called The Romantic Piano 1 and it is on Idagio at the moment with a complete set of the Chopin Nocturnes , Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words and some stunning Liszt. He plays the Swiss Pilgrimage and also most of the Itallian one and some of the list Wagner transcriptions. There is also a superb account of the B Minor Sonata which I had never heard from him before. He really was some player before he went over to the dark side ( conducting ).
Jim
Love Barenboim's playing most anything, one of my favorites.
Have you listened to his "on my new piano"?
I don't know about his "dark side".
I do appreciate his collaborations with the late Edward Said to
form the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.


@jcazador   Hi jeremy yes I have heard and have his new piano album and I think it gives a more tangible link to the 19th century piano playing and I think it also has a wonderful tone. Yes the dark side was meant to be a bit flippant because one side of me says we already have enough wonderful conductors and one says without these pianist's contributions we would be bereft of the benefit these pianist conductors. I do hate though going to concerts where the pianist in a concerto would be thoroughly triounced pianistically by the conductor. I'm afraid the Scot in me says I am being short changed.
Jim , all you hear in US is former Prince Harry soap opera , do Scots care that much
that The Queen bared he fangs ?
Both countries are similar IMO because all spins around the City and/or
Wall Street . The circus keeps the poor folk occupied .
Hope he can get by in Canada ( a good country) on his 50 million pounds pittance .